About the Bridge
by Toi.Plus.Moi
Summary: First it was just Ray and Salima pining about how they hated to cheat. Then Kai popped up with a question, "Is this where you're meeting her?" And Mariam was there, too? V-Force. Hints of MaxMariam. First collaboration.


Well, this is our first collaboration, and we're relatively proud of it. It does need a little explanation, though, because to anyone but us it would appear totally random. It's safe to say that if you're not familiar with V-Force, you'll have no idea what this is going on about.

Do you remember in V-Force when Ray met Salima on the bridge and they pined about how much they hated when someone didn't play fairly? This story takes place on the same night. If you haven't seen the episode, you might not get this entirely. (If you're interested in watching it, it's episode 19 in V-Force – "Their Own Private Battles". All the episodes are available to watch for free on Veoh.) Anyway, later in the episode, when Ray waits for Salima on the bridge the second night, Kai pops up out of nowhere and goes, "Is this where you're meeting her?" And then Mariam mentions in another episode how she saw Ray that night, too. We thought it hilarious that they were all in the vicinity of the bridge on the same night, though we never saw what Kai or Mariam were doing there. We decided that this is what happened.

Disclaimer: We do not own Beyblade.

Enjoy!

* * *

**About the Bridge**

Ray stepped lightly out of the dojo while glancing over his shoulder anxiously. He needed some air – clear night air where he could think freely without the pollution of other people's thoughts hanging around like they did in the daytime. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the tactics that the rest of his team seemed to think it was okay to use. They weren't obeying the rules anymore; they were throwing the rulebook out the window! Ray couldn't stand it. That's not how he was taught to beyblade. He'd always been taught to play fair and have fun. Apparently that's not what the Bladebreakers were about now, and he couldn't say he was happy about it. Sighing up to the stars, he began his stroll.

Unbeknownst to Ray (and all the other occupants of the dojo for that matter), a certain blond-haired American tiptoed out of the building as quietly as he could manage. Max hadn't noticed that Ray was missing – and Ray hadn't noticed that Max had been awake and fully dressed when he left. Max made his way onto the sidewalk in front of the dojo, enjoying the beautiful night…he just hoped she showed up. He'd passed her a note, but he wasn't too sure that she would actually come. After all, she wasn't exactly too fond of him.

He had to admit that _he_ was fond of _her_, though. There was something about the reclusive Saint Shield female that caught Max's eye. He was inexplicably drawn to her, and he didn't understand it. He needed to talk to her about it, if she would listen, which was why he called the meeting in the first place. She'd looked at him like he was insane when he passed her the note, but it was the only way he could think of to communicate with her without alerting his team to the fact. If they knew, he'd never hear the end of how he was "fraternizing with the enemy".

Suddenly a noise made Max aware of the presence of someone else in the area. He hid himself out of sight and listened intently. No one came by, but he could have sworn he had heard someone hopping the dojo wall. Quietly, he removed himself from his hiding place and peeked around the corner of the wall. Nothing. His imagination was running away with him tonight.

* * *

Eventually, Max arrived at the arranged meeting place and waited. It was kind of awkward – standing here and waiting under the bridge all alone in the middle of the night. He wondered what someone would think if they saw him.

Meanwhile, Kai watched the bridge intently from his hiding place behind a tree. He was fairly certain that if two of his teammates had left the dojo, and they'd both come here, something interesting was going to happen. He watched as Ray paused in the middle of the bridge to stare down at the water thoughtfully. He could guess what the Chinese blader was thinking about. All this breaking the rules business didn't sit well with Kai, either, but he would do whatever it took to make sure Wyatt was avenged.

On a lighter note, Kai found it amusing that neither Max nor Ray knew the other was there. They didn't even know _he_ was there for that matter. He despised the fact that if he saw something that he didn't like it would be his responsibility to step in as the team captain. Kai hoped that both boys knew what they were doing.

His eyes drifted to Max. The youngest Bladebreaker was tapping his foot impatiently and seemed to be looking for someone. Every once in a while he'd get too anxious to stand still and pace back and forth beneath the bridge. Who could he be waiting for at this hour? Well, obviously he wanted to keep his rendezvous a secret from his team, if he'd snuck out in the middle of the night, but who did Max plan to meet so secretly? It was either someone his friends wouldn't approve of, or didn't know, otherwise there's be no need for such extreme measures.

Then there was Ray. He posed less of a threat than Max at the moment, in Kai's eyes. He looked like he was simply out to collect his thoughts. He'd need an eye kept on him anyway. The things Kai did for the sake of this team...

* * *

The night remained quiet for what seemed like forever to Max. He was beginning to get the feeling that Mariam planned to just ignore the note when he heard footsteps approaching. He peeked out from his spot under the bridge and saw that it wasn't Mariam that was approaching, but a different girl. Salima? He barely had time to wonder what she was doing here before she walked onto the bridge.

His curiosity piqued, he crept up the hill and risked a look onto the top of the bridge. He was surprised to see Ray standing on the bridge as well – perhaps he wasn't the only one who had arranged a meeting tonight? And maybe that was who he'd heard jumping over the dojo's outer wall earlier. He saw and heard the two greet each other...glad that they didn't seem to notice he was there.

"Spying, Max?"

The blond nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice behind him. He turned around and noticed that Mariam had finally arrived. How long had she been standing there?

"You came!" Max whispered in slight surprise.

"Of course I came you idiot!" Mariam whispered back fiercely. "This is the fourth invitation I've gotten from you, so I figured you'd never give up."

"Oh," Max muttered with a blush.

They stood awkwardly for a few moments while Max studied his shoe laces. Finally Mariam had had enough.

"Oh, come on! Aren't we going under the bridge so no one sees us?!" She didn't wait for an answer. Instead she grabbed Max's wrist and pulled him down to their meeting place. Really, why she had to babysit the youngest owner of a sacred spirit, she'd never know. That's what you get when you show up late for a team meeting.

* * *

Salima had been the last person Ray expected to see that night...in fact he hadn't expected to come across anyone. But he was glad of the company. The two of them decided to move their conversation onto the outcrop, which wasn't far from the bridge. Indeed, sitting on this outcrop gave them a nice view of the bridge. And underneath it for that matter.

Talking to her, Ray discovered that he and Salima felt similar about the upcoming match. Neither of them wished their teams to cheat – she even promised to come back the following night with a cyber bit-beast for them to analyze, in return for them forfeiting the battle. Ray agreed reluctantly, and that was when something caught his eye.

"Is that someone under the bridge?" he asked, just as his company was about to depart.

Salima re-seated herself next to the Chinese blader. "Looks like two 'someone's to me...I wonder what they're doing out here so late at night?"

* * *

What was this? Kai all of a sudden got much more interested in his teammates' affairs. Salima had shown up, but she wasn't going down to meet Max. She was wandering, lost in thought, across the bridge. It was imminent that she would run into Ray. There, she did. The pair exchanged a few words and one of them gestured to an outcropping where they relocated. After a while Salima got up to leave, but Ray called her back and pointed to the bridge. Kai followed his gaze and raised his eyebrows.

Unless he was very mistaken, it was Mariam that Max had chosen to meet. Yeah, it was definitely her – she'd taken off her hood. That was weird. Why would Max want to meet up with Mariam? Maybe they were going to battle. No, that was nothing they couldn't do during the day, and they looked like they were just talking anyway. There was no reason for Max to meet up with Mariam secretly unless…oh, no. What if Max had developed a sort of crush on Mariam? That could only result in disaster.

* * *

"Mariam, please don't be mad at me," Max begged pathetically. Now he really wished she hadn't come. If she was just going to yell at him all night, he'd rather have spent it alone.

"Max, you can't like me!" she told him, ignoring his plea. "Get that through your head! We'd never work, and I'm not going to sit here forever listening to you talk about how we would, when we wouldn't!" Mariam turned away from him and crossed her arms. How insufferable could one person be? He was such a baby compared to her, and he thought they could work?! It was laughable! And he wouldn't even listen to reason! He was exactly the type of person she couldn't stand to spend more than five minutes with.

"Give me a chance, Mariam." He gently grasped her shoulder. His eyes bore into the back of her head, wearing a pitiful pout.

"Why?!" Mariam asked, turning back around to face him, and shaking his hand off in the process.

"Because, I think I'm in love with you, that's why."

"Well, you're not. You just think I'm pretty. Face it, you're, what, fourteen? You. Don't. Know. What. Love. Is!"

"Well, I feel something for you at any rate, Mariam."

"That will pass with time. As soon as I'm gone, you'll go back to your normal hormonal balance and forget all about me. If we ever meet again after that, you'll wonder what in the world you ever saw in me."

"So that's how you want it to be?"

"Yes," Mariam stated defiantly.

"Fine, but before you go…"

* * *

Salima and Ray watched with interest as they tried to figure out just who it was under the bridge. Then Ray noticed the unmistakable blond hair.

"That's Max..." he pointed, and Salima nodded in agreement. Then his teammate's companion removed her hood, making her easier to identify. "What's he doing with Mariam?"

"Who is she?"

"She's just some beyblader who's always following us around – her and her team. We really don't know what their motives are."

"Do you think they're going to battle?"

"I don't think so. It doesn't look like it at least," Ray said, now following the scene more closely. The two of them appeared to be simply talking...although he and Salima had no way of knowing what was being said.

Then rather suddenly, Max leaned forward and kissed Mariam. Well, tried to anyway. The poor boy was pushed away almost as soon as he got close enough.

Ray and Salima exchanged surprised glances before returning their full attention to the spectacle under the bridge. They looked (and felt) for all the world like two people who were extremely engrossed in a soap opera. Ray noticed this with slight guilt – he normally didn't spy, but it was just too interesting not to.

* * *

If any of Kai's teammates could see him now, they'd crack up laughing. He was gaping open-mouthed with shock at the scene under the bridge. He hadn't expected Max to try to kiss Mariam. Max had no idea about relationships or women, that much was clear. He was lovesick, a stumbling fool who thought that everything was as simple as "I love you". The poor kid was even too blind to see that he was way out of his league. He had a lot to learn.

* * *

"Max! What are you doing?" Mariam seethed. "You don't just try to kiss a girl! Especially if it's me!"

"But-"

"No, don't say anything! You don't know the first thing about girls or dating or being in love! Anything you say would make everything worse!"

"But if you'd just give me a chance-"

"No!" Mariam shouted at him.

"Sh! Someone could hear you!" Max cautioned, glancing around.

Mariam listened intently and looked around. Her gaze fell on two people sitting on an outcropping some distance away. She couldn't tell who they were from here, but one looked like Ray, judging from the getup, and it was better to be safe than sorry. She leaned forward and jabbed an accusing finger into Max's chest as she whispered, "Max, I'll say this once, so you'd better listen up. You and I are enemies. We can't be friends, let alone more than friends. The sooner you realize that the better it will be for both of us." And just like that, with one more cautious glance to the outcrop, she glided away into the night.

Max sighed and sat down, leaning his back against the bridge. This was not his day.

* * *

"Looks like someone just got rejected..."

Kai managed to maintain some level of control over himself so as not to jump at the sudden voice behind him. He turned and saw Joseph.

"How long have you been standing there?" the Russian demanded.

Joseph just shrugged and looked out from behind the tree. "I saw as much as you did."

Kai mentally kicked himself for not noticing Joseph sooner. He was beginning to think his team of slackers was having too much of an effect on him...he'd need to work on keeping his senses sharp.

* * *

Ray and Salima could tell by the single word they heard that Max's evening had not gone entirely according to plan. It would seem he'd been turned down.

"Poor guy," Salima muttered.

"Yeah," Ray agreed. "But I don't know what he saw in her anyway."

Salima shrugged. "I bet even he doesn't know entirely yet."

The Chinese blader nodded. She had a good point.

"Well, I better be getting back," Salima said suddenly, standing up once more. "I'll meet you on the bridge tomorrow night with the beyblade...if everything goes according to plan."

"All right," Ray agreed, standing to leave as well.

Salima smiled. "Good-bye." With that she turned and left the outcropping, and Ray watched her go.

* * *

"See ya around, Kai," Joseph said with a small wave, disappearing into the darkness.

Kai shook his head at the strange little green-haired boy and left, as well. There was no way he was being caught out of the dojo by Max and Ray. It had been a close call when he'd vaulted the dojo wall – he was sure Max must have seen him then. He couldn't send out the message that he was okay with nighttime wanderings, or neither of them would ever get any sleep and their training would suffer.

* * *

Max groaned and stood up. There was no point hanging around and moping about how his night had turned out. He couldn't change anything now, anyway. But he knew he felt something! Why couldn't Mariam understand? No, he wouldn't think about it. He'd just go back to the dojo and forget all about it for tonight. He could think about it later; tomorrow, maybe, if he wasn't wrapped up in practicing and dealing with Tyson's miniature mental breakdown over the battle with the Psykicks. The blond sighed and climbed out from under the bridge.

* * *

"Maybe everything will be okay now," Ray thought to himself as he re-crossed the bridge on his way back to the dojo. If he could get the Bladebreakers to forfeit and get a look at the cyber bitbeast in the process, all his problems would be solved. Tyson was sure to have a hissy fit as soon as he suggested it, but it was for the best. He wasn't going to go on pretending he was okay with cheating, especially if someone on the other side felt the same.

After another walk in the cool, crisp moonlight, Ray made it back to the dojo, and he had to pretend to be just as surprised as Max was when he ran into the American just outside door to the outer wall.

"Ray? What are you doing out so late?"

"I just went for a walk...to clear my head, y'know? How about you?"

"Same here," Max said, not in the mood to talk about his meeting with Mariam. It was better that no one knew anyway.

"I guess we should be getting back inside," Ray suggested after a brief silence.

"Yeah..." Max agreed, and the two of them made their way as quietly as possible into the dojo. They returned to their spots, being careful not to disturb the sleeping forms of Tyson and Kai.

"One more thing, Max," Ray said as the pair settled back down to bed. "Not a word of this to any of the others."

"Agreed," Max said, relieved. Now he was sure not to get any questions. Little did he know, Ray was thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

A/N: It seems plausible, doesn't it?

QueenViolet – You'll have to excuse Tori for the blatantly obvious MaxMariam…those parts were up to her to write. If it were up to me, you wouldn't even see anything happening between them at all…but then if it were entirely up to me, this wouldn't even be written at all. XD I dare you to guess who wrote what….

AzikaRue394 – So, I e-mailed Riley when we were supposed to be doing school and made her write a story with me. We have the collaboration account for a reason. Oh, and before anyone asks, I think our next project may end up being the one we asked permission to use everyone's usernames for. That one's greatly overdue. Also, if you haven't seen V-Force and managed to get this far, I highly recommend it. I'm pretty sure it's my favorite out of the seasons, just because. Sorry, but I couldn't go the whole span of a V-Force story without giving it its props.

Thanks for reading! Do us a favor and review, telling us what you think. This is our first collaboration and we're hoping our two styles complimented each other well enough for it not to seem choppy…y'know, except for the excessive line breaks.


End file.
